Buddy read with Melanie! ❤

3.5 stars.

This is super super cute with a generous side of realistic teenage awkwardness — simultaneously cringey and relatable, the epitome of secondhand embarrassment. The diversity is also great, not just Ben being Puerto Rican but financially and academically less well-off; Arthur being Jewish and having ADHD. I especially loved all the different family and friendship dynamics: love is love is love, and its familial, platonic, and romantic forms are all equally important.

That said, some of the drama (offhand privileged comments, lack of clear communication) seemed a little manufactured for the sake of drama, which is where this book lost half a star; I also didn’t think the epilogue was needed. The modern references were a little over-the-top (especially in the beginning, where Ben is constantly talking about Instagram and Twitter, and Arthur says “squad” like twenty times in five pages; it later turns into an excess of Hamilton references: the same few famous lines over and over; I would’ve minded less if there was more variety, but some of those “not throwing away my shot” references were a stretch), and I was a little put off when I found out how self-insert-y the authors were (matching their initials and home states to the characters).

But anyway, this is very sweet and very gay. It’s a good time.